For the New England Patriots, Sunday will be a celebration. The franchise will honor the 25th anniversary of its first ever Super Bowl-winning team as well as recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Adam Vinatieri.
It is a fitting day to do so given that the Las Vegas Raiders are in town. The Raiders, of course, were one of the teams beaten by the Patriots on the way to that championship — one of 39 total meetings between the two organizations over the years.
Let’s take a look back.
Patriots vs. Raiders series history
Overall history:
Two charter members of the original AFL, the Patriots and Raiders have played 36 regular season games since back in 1960. The series has been fairly even through the years, resulting in an 18-17-1 advantage for New England in those games. The playoffs have been similar, with the Patriots holding a 2-1 edge in postseason play. The first such meeting came in 1976, when then-Oakland won 24-21 in the divisional round. The Patriots got their revenge in 1985, winning 27-20 in Los Angeles. They then celebrated a 16-13 overtime divisional victory in Foxborough en route to their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI.
First game: Almost exactly 66 years ago, on October 16, 1960, the Patriots and Raiders met for the very first time at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. It was a sloppy affair, to say the least. The visitors turned the ball over seven times, including thrice through Butch Songin interceptions, while the de facto home team threw five picks itself — three of them landing in the arms of Gino Cappelletti. Cappelletti’s efforts were for naught, however. The Raiders managed to jump to a 21-6 halftime lead and never looked back, eventually winning the game with a final score of 27-14.
Most memorable game: The Patriots honoring Adam Vinatieri on Sunday makes perfect sense, because of all the kicks he made in his NFL career, none was better than the 45-yarder that sent the 2001 divisional game to overtime. Driving the ball through a snow storm, Vinatieri capped what was a 10-point fourth-quarter rally by his team: New England was down 13-3 entering the final period against the Raiders, but a Tom Brady touchdown run and Vinatieri’s kick — which was preceded by the famous Tuck Rule overturning an apparent lost fumble by Brady — tied proceedings. In extra time, the Patriots received the kickoff and marched 61 yards in 15 plays to set up the game-winning field goal from 23 yards out. Brady went 8-for-8 for 45 yards on the series, while Vinatieri’s final kick proved to be the last play at the old Foxboro Stadium. | Highlights
Most recent game: Mike Vrabel led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first year as head coach, but his tenure actually started with a loss last September. Hosting the Raiders in Week 1, Vrabel’s team struggled to string positive plays together and was outscored 13-3 in the second half to turn a 10-7 halftime lead into a 20-13 defeat. Drake Maye threw a touchdown and an interception, Kayshon Boutte had 103 receiving yards, Jaylinn Hawkins caught a pick, and DeMario Douglas finished with more touchdowns (1) than yards (-2). | Highlights
The 2-2 Patriots will take on the 3-1 Raiders at Gillette Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
